Mekons: Me

Recent years have brought a flurry of renewed activity in the Mekons camp: The venerable Leeds/Chicago punk collective worked on a foul-mouthed performance piece with writer Kathy Acker (Pussy, King Of The Pirates), published a book of art and writing (Mekons United), and even toured in both clubs and galleries. Meanwhile, the most visible individual Mekons, Jon Langford and Sally Timms, are both enjoying the spoils of their long-standing support of country music, Langford in Waco Brothers and Timms as a solo artist. Even accordionist Rico Bell released a sadly overlooked gem of an album a while back. But Me is the first "proper" Mekons release since 1994's Retreat From Memphis, and it has more in common with the recently reissued Devils, Rats, And Piggies than it does with the group's typically raucous, ragged rock. Seemingly no longer interested in the relatively conventional rock 'n' roll of its most successful run of albums (from 1983's Fear And Whiskey to 1988's Curse Of The Mekons), Mekons instead plays with synths, sound poems, and drum machines on Me. The album's vamps and half-assed lyrics are tied to the themes of selfishness, consumerism, and excess indicated by the album's title. Put plainly, there's not much rock in Me, but there's plenty of sex, drugs, and general debauchery: Timms is relegated to reading off sexual adverts, while Tom Greenhalgh and Langford get to say "fuck" a lot. Like Pussy, Queen Of The Pirates, whatever point is being made here is lost amidst the academic bawdiness. Granted, it's good to find that the ever-contrary band is still capable of something as challenging as its early work. Now, if only it would put out something listenable, so we can all be happy.